Memphis men’s basketball and head coach Penny Hardaway are reportedly facing four Level I and two Level II NCAA violations stemming from an infractions case involving former player James Wiseman.
Head coach Penny Hardaway is the only person named in the notice of allegations.
According to ESPN:
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Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway is the only person named in the notice of allegations, according to the report. It says Hardaway was involved in at least one of the Level I violations and the two Level II violations. The NCAA alleges Hardaway “failed to demonstrate that he promoted an atmosphere of compliance within the men’s basketball program.”
The Memphis Commercial Appeal, which also obtained the documents, reported that the investigation extended beyond Wiseman.
Wiseman, a No. 1 recruit who committed to play for Hardaway and Memphis during the 2019-20 season, was suspended 12 games in November 2019 for two violations: his mother accepting $11,500 from Hardaway in the summer of 2017 and Wiseman playing in three games while ineligible.
The Memphis Commercial Appeal report indicates that data from a computer hard drive belonging to former assistant coach Mike Miller was destroyed (which is a huge NCAA no no):
Rather than keep Wiseman off the court until the matter could be resolved, the Tigers played him in three games, which led the NCAA to initiate its investigation. The case was referred to the IARP on March 4, 2020.
The amended notice of allegations charges that data from a computer hard drive belonging to a former assistant coach was not preserved. The university’s response indicated the computer belonged to Mike Miller.
“A subsequent forensic examination revealed that the former assistant men’s basketball coach’s computer hard drive was formatted on June 5, 2020, and as a result, the data on the computer was deleted,” the amended notice of allegations states. “The Institution failed to conduct an adequate investigation into why the computer’s hard drive was not preserved.”
